Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian | Opinion - Guest Columnists

Opinion: The head of the Bodine School on the importance of addressing dyslexia

opinion@dailymemphian.com (John Murphy) — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 14:15:43 -0500

“One in five people have some level of dyslexia. The challenge is that society must be aware of how prevalent dyslexia is in our world and actively support the dyslexic community.”

Opinion: 'What would it mean to extend mercy to someone like Christa Pike?'

opinion@dailymemphian.com (Spencer Beckman) — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 04:00:00 -0500

“Pike deserves to be held accountable for murder. Nothing about mercy diminishes her victim’s life or her loved ones’ loss. But it is hard to believe Tennesseans would be safer if the state once again tries to kill Pike.”

Opinion: Heidi Kuhn believes West Tennessee is ‘being left behind’

opinion@dailymemphian.com (Heidi Kuhn) — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 11:36:00 -0500

“The 8th District is more than lines drawn on a political map. It is families, farms, neighborhoods, small businesses, cities and rural communities that together make up a vital part of Tennessee.”

Echols: 'What we take in, be it book or bite, will inevitably impact how we live.'

candaceecholswrites@gmail.com (Candace Echols) — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 13:01:17 -0500

“What knowledge is obsolete, what knowledge is rock solid, and who — pray tell — is qualified to make such distinctions?”

Opinion: What’s to become of old-school moderate Democrats?

covington.john@gmail.com (John Covington) — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 04:00:04 -0500

“The obvious rift between Steve Cohen and Justin Pearson reflects a larger national divide between an older Democratic tradition and a rising — and increasingly radicalized — progressive movement.”

Maxey: 'Life’s unceasing flow through time is a reality we sometimes forget'

rmaxey@dailymemphian.com (Ron Maxey) — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 09:16:34 -0500

“I try to remind myself daily to have purpose behind whatever I do, to make the day count. For starters, that’s how I give thanks for the miracle of simply being here.”

Opinion: Former Mayor Wharton on how violence intervention and law enforcement make a difference

opinion@dailymemphian.com (A C Wharton) — Mon, 5 Oct 2026 04:00:01 -0500

“I am not exaggerating when I tell you gunshots used to awaken me almost every night, or that patching the bullet holes in our roof used to be an annual expense. I am also not exaggerating when I say it’s gotten a lot better.”

Opinion: When can we stop being tough?

frankblanigan@gmail.com (Frank Lanigan) — Sun, 4 Oct 2026 04:00:11 -0500

“I’d keep the towels and I’d keep the pride. But I’d like to think of ‘Grit and Grind’ as something we remember rather than an ideal to live up to. Grit should describe what we’ve survived. Let’s figure out how we want to describe the next chapter.”

Opinion: The beauty of the face we’ve earned

morriss@churchhealth.org (G. Scott Morris) — Sun, 4 Oct 2026 04:00:11 -0500

“For all the effort human beings have devoted to extending life, it is strange that we have become so uncomfortable looking as though we have actually lived one. Because there is tremendous beauty in an old face.”

Echols: 'Dear Freshmen: Sorry we didn't warn you'

candaceecholswrites@gmail.com (Candace Echols) — Tue, 6 Oct 2026 12:43:34 -0500

“We left out the boredom of Saturday afternoons, the awkwardness of Tuesday lunches and the monotony of late nights in the library. Perhaps we could have fleshed out the hard parts with instead of airbrushing the whole, big thing.”

Opinion: 1 year ago, they told Memphis to be afraid

covington.john@gmail.com (John Covington) — Thu, 1 Oct 2026 04:00:02 -0500

A year after warnings of occupation, authoritarianism and terror, Memphis is safer — and the hyperbolic rhetoric deserves a reckoning.

Opinion: David Weatherspoon on suspending the gas tax and supporting public safety for District 31

opinion@dailymemphian.com (David Weatherspoon) — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 04:00:05 -0500

“Tennesseans, like voters across the country, have become disillusioned with the current caustic political environment. I will bring decency back to the state Capitol. I will bring integrity back to the state Legislature.”

Maxey: 'Whatever the reasons for addiction, the voices of those impacted need to be heard'

rmaxey@dailymemphian.com (Ron Maxey) — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 17:43:13 -0500

“In the early days after my daughter died of a drug overdose in 2014, it was one of the details with which I became obsessed – that over time, I might forget what she sounded like.”

Echols: 'Caring for stuff isn’t how most of us wish to spend our days'

candaceecholswrites@gmail.com (Candace Echols) — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 13:49:02 -0500

“Is there anything more depressing than a life speckled with unrealized dreams revealed through a stack of unopened gear? My basement is a graveyard of hobbies that never were.”

Opinion: On economic development, Tennesseans should ask themselves, ‘Why not Japan?’

opinion@dailymemphian.com (Andrew McDermott) — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 10:41:45 -0500

“Japan has long been a friend in adversity, investing in Memphis amid political and racial turmoil 50 years ago when it became our first Memphis in May guest.”

Opinion: MATA’s shame is a national shame

mosleycarter@aol.com (Johnnie Mosley) — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 13:27:20 -0500

“No more excuses. No more fairy tales. No more treating bus riders as pieces on a chessboard. MATA must comply with the city charter and treat bus riders with dignity and respect.”

Opinion: 'Judge Coffee, release Andrew Hayes'

opinion@dailymemphian.com (William E. Arnold Jr.) — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 04:00:08 -0500

“The true measure of a justice system is not whether it can claim perfection. It is whether the justice system has the courage to correct itself when it discovers that it failed.”

Opinion: Jesse Huseth on affordability, education and costs in District 97

opinion@dailymemphian.com (Jesse Huseth) — Sun, 20 Sep 2026 09:06:28 -0500

“I am running for Tennessee State House District 97 because I refuse to accept that our state should rank last when it matters most: for our children, our loved ones, and our working families.”

Opinion: Memphis is moving forward. Why are some so angry about it?

covington.john@gmail.com (John Covington) — Sun, 20 Sep 2026 09:05:58 -0500

“Crime is falling. Investment is surging. The tax base is expanding. Memphis has spent years demanding progress. Now that it’s finally happening, results should matter more than partisan grievance.”

Opinion: Rep. Gillespie on his support of the task force and MSCS takeover

opinion@dailymemphian.com (John Gillespie) — Sun, 20 Sep 2026 09:07:21 -0500

Tennessee House Rep. John Gillespie advocates for his reelection to Tennessee House District 97, including highlighting his support of the Memphis Safe Task Force and the takeover of Memphis Shelby County Schools.